1960 Toronto municipal election

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 5, 1960. Six-year incumbent mayor Nathan Phillips was challenged by former mayor Allan Lamport and Controller Jean Newman. Phillips was returned to office.

The City of Toronto also held a referendum on whether to remove the Blue Law banning films and concerts on Sunday evenings. The measure passed 94,000 votes to 58,003.

Toronto mayor[]

Phillips had first been elected to city council in 1926 and was elected mayor in 1954 and was reelected in 1956 and 1958. He faced two prominent challengers in the 1960 race. Former mayor and Board of Control member Allan Lamport and Controller Jean Newman. Each of the three candidates had the endorsement of one of the city's newspapers. The right-wing Toronto Telegram backed Phillips, the centre-right The Globe and Mail backed Newman, and the centre-left Toronto Daily Star backed Lamport. One of the central issues was over the expansion of the Toronto subway system by building the Bloor-Danforth Line. All candidates supported it, but there was debate over how it should be paid for.

Results

Nathan Phillips - 81,699

Allan Lamport - 58,254

Jean Newman - 31,999

Ross Dowson - 1,643

Harry Bradley - 1,511

Plebiscite[]

A plebiscite was held on loosening Toronto's blue law to allow cinemas to open on Sundays.

Sunday movies

For - 81,821

Against - 45,399

Source: ^[1]

Board of Control[]

Top spot on the Board of Control, and the associated budget chief position, was contested between two incumbent conservatives Donald Summerville and William Allen with Summerville winning the top spot. Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) member William Dennison was also reelected to the Board. The position left open by Newman's decision to run for mayor attracted three aldermen with Philip Givens narrowly beating CCF member Herbert Orliffe and Francis Chambers finishing further behind. A month later in January 1961 William Allen won the position of Metro Toronto Chairman and resigned from the board. Orliffe was appointed to replace him.

The two Controllers with the most votes also sit on Metropolitan Toronto Council.^[2]

Results

Donald Summerville (incumbent) - 110,893

William Allen (incumbent) - 110,256

William Dennison (incumbent) - 76,169

Philip Givens - 66,972

Herbert Orliffe - 65,418

Francis Chambers - 30,696

William Harris - 14,493

Jessie Jackson - 14,062

Mary Burke - 13,240

City council[]

Two aldermen were elected per Ward. The alderman with the most votes was declared Senior Alderman and sat on both Toronto City Council and Metro Council.

In the elections for Toronto City Council, only one incumbent was defeated, May Birchard in Ward 2. In all but one ward where two incumbents were reelected two councillors switched position changing which would also represent the city on the board of Metro Toronto.

Ward 1 (Riverdale)

Fred Beavis (incumbent) - 10,423

(incumbent) - 10,224

Theobald - 5,566

Peter Ward - 2,092

Ward 2 (Regent Park and Rosedale)

Margaret Campbell (incumbent) - 6,829

- 5,677

May Birchard (incumbent) - 4,927

Stanley Price - 4,095

Thomas McAulay - 3,360

Currey - 1,194

Ward 3 (West Downtown and Summerhill)

William Archer (incumbent) - 7,509

(incumbent) - 6,707

- 3,977

James Sanderson - 1,156

Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)

David Rotenberg - 4,766

- 3,626

Murray Caplan - 2,508

Jack Frankel - 2,364

Charles Drukarsh - 2,290

Ralph Meakes - 1,718

Lily Sherizen - 1,654

A.G. Finkelstein - 1,554

Samuel Kwinter - 854

Bruce Magnuson - 847

Dorothy Cureatz - 596

Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy)

(incumbent) - 6,667

Joseph Piccininni - 4,873

George Ben - 4,317

Louis Lockhart - 3,162

Lloyd White - 3,054

Russell Doyle - 1,609

Janet McMurray - 1,510

John Jones - 1,055

Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)

(incumbent) - 12,590

(incumbent) - 11,201

George Jackson - 3,381

Michael Comar - 3,350

A.J. Robertson - 3,285

Stanley Steban - 3,197

W.G. Martin - 2,855

Pauline Miles - 2,360

Jack Starkman - 1,428

Anne Fritz - 1,142

Ward 7 (Bloor West Village)

(incumbent) - 7,226

Mary Temple (incumbent) - 6,368

Thomas Wilson - 5,258

John O'Shea - 3,540

Ward 8 (The Beaches)

(incumbent) - 9,995

Tom Wardle Sr. - 9,516

S.T. Bullock - 7,963

Chris Stavro - 7,347

Joseph McNulty - 3,033

S.A. Baker - 2,486

A.A. Williams - 1,382

E.V. Cox - 1,064

Taiml Davis - 922

John Square - 455

Ward 9 (North Toronto)

(incumbent) - 20,481

(incumbent) - 11,907

Helen Johnston - 9,916

William Hall - 7,166

Results are taken from the December 6, 1960 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

Changes[]

Controller William Allen resigned upon being elected Metro Chairman on January 9, 1962. On January 15, 1962 Controller William Dennison was appointed Metro Councillor and Herbert Orliffe was appointed Controller

Suburbs[]

East York[]

Reeve

True Davidson - 5,047

(x) - 3,431

Charles Howard Chandler - 3,275

Royden Meyer Brigham - 2,687

Norman Cheeseman - 1,690

Albert Morgan - 222

Source: ^[1][3]

Etobicoke[]

Reeve

(x)Henry Oscar Waffle - 14,726

Murray Johnson - 11,448

C. Robert Bush - 8,549

Deputy Reeve

John P. MacBeth - 14,899

John Allen - 9,829

Clifford Tinkham - 9,363

Source: "Waffle Easily Wins Etobicoke", Toronto Daily Star`` (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]06 Dec 1960: 9

Forest Hill[]

Reeve

(x)Laurie T. Simonsky - 2,674

Perly - 1,814

Labow - 743

Deputy Reeve

Banks - 1,873

Pivnick - 2,905

Source: ^[1] and "Simonsky Again Forest Hill Reeve", Toronto Daily Star (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]06 Dec 1960: 9

Leaside[]

Mayor

(x)Charles Hiscott (acclaimed)

Long Branch[]

Reeve

(x)Marie Curtis (acclaimed)

Mimico[]

Mayor

Hugh Griggs

(x)William Arthur (Gus) Edwards

New Toronto[]

Mayor

(x)Donald Russell - 1,501

White - 1,255

Source: ^[1]

North York[]

Reeve

(x) 37,365

Harold Segal 14,993

Scarborough[]

Reeve

(x)Albert Campbell (acclaimed)

Swansea[]

Reeve

(x)Dorothy Hague (acclaimed)

Deputy Reeve

Harry Squarebriggs (acclaimed)

Weston[]

Mayor

George W. Bull - 1,683

Clark - 1,026

Source: ^[1]

York[]

Reeve

- 14,766

(x) - 6,369

Charles McMaster - 2,735

Pauline Shapero - 1,912

Taylor defeated Tonks who had been ensnared in a conflict-of-interest scandal. Source: ^[1]

References[]

• Election Coverage. Toronto Star. December 6, 1960